Day 1: Learning Hawai'ian Culture With Cheyenne and Erika by Alyssa Krogh

July 21st, 2019

Learning Hawai'ian Culture With Cheyenne and Erika

by Alyssa Krogh

Alyssa was greeted at the airport with Erika and Cheyenne with
her first lei.

On the first day of the GELS program I was nervous to begin the week. I met most of the group along the way to Hilo. We got to Hilo and were greeted by an amazing lei ceremony by Erika and Cheyenne. I didn’t understand the importance of the lei at the time but I still knew they were important. After getting checked into the dorm we started our lessons. Cheyenne taught us about the native and invasive species in Hawaii. The last activity was about the leis and was definitely my favorite part of the day. Cheyenne and Erika told us about the many different meanings of the leis and how they all signify different representations.

One interesting fact I learned is that when a woman is pregnant she is given an open lei because they don’t want to risk the umbilical cord getting wrapped up and knotted. The Hawaiians have a deep connection with their navels and when a baby is born they cut off the cord and put it in the earth to signify giving back to the earth. We learned about the different ways to make leis. The most common ways are the Kui and the Hilo. With the Kui, they string flowers along a thread to make a string of flowers that fit inside the other. We then made a Hilo lei. The Hilo is made by taking two strands of the te leaves and either heating them up or sitting them in a salt soak. This makes it so the leaves are more pliable. Then, the strands are twisted to the left and they are wrapped around each other to the left so they line up with each other and form a strong bond. This type of lei is meant for protection and can be worn or kept with you.

Cecilia and Alyssa at Rainbow Falls.

Another type of lei I learned about was the kukui lei. For this one, they take the kukui nut, string it and wear it as a lei. The main purpose of this is to bring light wherever you are. The reasoning behind this is because of the shiny leaves and how they reflect the light. Cheyenne told us a story of when the people in the village would place kukui trees on the beach so when the fishermen came into town they could see the island by the light shining off the kukui trees. Leis have many different meanings but they are all equally important. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn so much about this amazing culture and I look forward to continue more about it. learning more throughout the week.